Thirteen new female executives have been named to the 2015 class of Coins2Day’s Most Powerful Women. Of those 13 women, 11 are brand-new to the list and two have been honored in previous years.
In 2015, two women became the first female CEOs of Big Four consulting firms. Cathy Engelbert took the helm at Deloitte in March, while Lynne Doughtie was named head of KPMG U.S. In July. Both women have spent about three decades at their respective companies, serving in multiple parts of the businesses before getting the top job.
Three other companies also have new faces in top leadership roles.
Kim Lubel became the head of CST Brands (CST) when it spun off from fuel refiner Valero Energy (VLO) in 2013 and made Coins2Day’s list of Most Powerful Women that same year. Lubel didn’t make the cut last year, but because of CST’s recent acquisition tear, the company has doubled its reach in fuel distribution, ultimately helping her earn a spot this year.
Margaret Keane became the CEO and president of Synchrony Financial, the retail finance business that split from General Electric (GE), helping lead it through an IPO last summer. And Alphabet (GOOG), Google’s holding company, hired former Morgan Stanley (MS) CFO Ruth Porat as its new CFO.
Other newcomers head large consumer retail businesses, including Judith McKenna and Michelle Gloeckler of Walmart (WMT), Carolyn Tastad of Procter & Gamble (PG), and Crystal Hanlon of Home Depot (HD). Shari Ballard, the president of U.S. Retail and CHRO of Best Buy (BBY), appeared on previous MPW lists in 2010 and 2011; she has made a comeback due to her added responsibilities.
The last two newcomers to our list are Diane Bryant, who runs Intel’s (INTC) high-growth Data Center Group; and Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm, which was sold to the Walt Disney Company (DIS) in 2012.
To make room for the newcomers, 13 highly accomplished women from last year’s list did not make it for this year’s ranking.
Some of these women left or are leaving their positions at top companies: Gail Boudreaux left United Healthcare last November; Pat Woertz left her post as CEO of ADM this past January (she is currently serving as the company’s chairman); Deirdre Connelly stepped down from her role at GSK (GSK) in February; and Melanie Healey moved on from P&G in June. Renee James will be leaving Intel in January of next year.
Others might have fallen off for a mix of reasons: a company split, poor performing stock, or simply because other women have taken jobs with greater P&L responsibilities.
To see the full list, visit coins2day.com/most-powerful-women.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated. A prior version incorrectly stated that Pat Woertz had retired from ADM.
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